Careers and employability

The range of skills gained through our programmes, coupled with opportunities for extra-curricular activities, has enabled our students to enter varied careers and do further research at international institutions.

Graduates from our masters programmes

Some of our graduates apply their degree knowledge directly, working in research-focused positions such as chemistry consultants, molecular microbiologists and conservation officers in labs as far afield as Australia, South Africa and the USA. Recent graduates from our masters degrees have gone on to do further research in the UK and abroad, including PhD positions at Queen Mary, Oxford University, University College London, and at universities in the USA and New Zealand. Others have secured employment in industry and academia, including environmental consultancies, UK and overseas government agencies, the pharmaceutical industry, and a global oil-field services provider. Others work in areas including teaching, museums and journalism.

The most recent national destination survey confirmed that 89 per cent of our graduates were in employment and/or study six months after graduation.

Graduate destinations include:

Curator, Natural History Museum

Fisheries Ecologist, Brown & May Marine

Research Chemist, Xention

Research Scientist, PhosphonicS

Ecotoxicologist, ADAS UK Ltd

Consultant, HR Wallingford

Technical Officer, Environment Agency

Research Intern, Zoological Society of London

Recent career events open to our postgraduates include our Industrial Liaison Forum, featuring small- and medium-sized employers, and workshops on studying for a PhD.

Graduates from our PhD programme

Graduates from our PhD programme have excellent career prospects. Many continue on to pursue a career in research, taking up positions as postdoctoral research fellows in laboratories based in the UK and abroad. Some progress to become independent research scientists, heading up their own research groups in universities or research institutes and going on to train the next generation of research scientists. Others take up research positions in industry (such as agrochemicals and pharmaceuticals) or move on to a teaching career in schools and other educational institutions. For some, a PhD is a qualification that provides a strong academic foundation for careers in business, the Civil Service, healthcare, journalism and more.